Influence Strategies in Shareholder Engagement: A Case Study of Five Swedish National Pension Funds

Investors spend money and resources trying to reduce the environmental, social, and governance risks in companies they own. If unattended, these risks may cause reputational damage not only to the portfolio firm, but also to its owner. In this paper, we study five Swedish national pension funds and the influence strategies used in shareholder engagement. Knowledge about influence strategies is important because successful shareholder engagements can lead to more sustainable corporate behaviour and a lower risk to the investor. Our findings show that, besides traditional power and legitimacy dependencies which have been reported as influential in deciding stakeholder salience, we present five additional factors in determining influence strategies in shareholder engagement. We provide a conceptual model showing how these factors interlink with choices of influence strategies, offering a practical use of this study. Stakeholder theory has been used as our theoretical frame of reference, based on existing influence strategy literature taken from the stakeholder–firm perspective.case study; ESG directive; influence strategy; pension funds; reputation risk; responsible investment; shareholder engagement; shareholder salience; stakeholder theory

The News You Choose: News Media Preferences Amplify Views on Climate Change

How do choices among information sources reinforce political differences on topics such as climate change? Environmental sociologists have observed large-scale and long-term impacts from news media and think-tank reports, while experimental science-communication studies detect more immediate effects from variations in supplied information. Applying generalized structural equation modeling to recent survey data, previous work is extended to show that political ideology, education and their interaction predict news media information choices in much the same way they predict opinions about climate change itself. Consequently, media information sources serve as intervening variables that can reinforce and, through their own independent effects, amplify existing beliefs about climate change. Results provide empirical support for selective exposure and biased assimilation as mechanisms widening political divisions on climate change in the United States. The findings fit with the reinforcing spirals framework suggesting partisan media strengthens climate change beliefs which then influences subsequent use of media

Eyes Off the Earth? Public Opinion Regarding Climate Science and NASA

In this brief, authors Lawrence Hamilton, Jessica Brunacini, and Stephanie Pfirman report the results of two nationwide Polar, Environment, and Science surveys on climate change conducted in 2016, as well as a follow-up April 2017 Granite State Poll asking New Hampshire residents their thoughts on proposed cuts to the NASA program. Seventy-three percent of respondents in the nationwide survey said they trust science agencies such as NASA for information about climate change. The second-most-trusted source of information about climate change is family and friends. Despite political divisions, science agencies such as NASA are trusted by substantial majorities within every political group. Deep cuts to NASA Earth-observing satellite programs have been proposed by the president and in Congress. However, more than 80 percent of survey respondents (including majorities in all political groups) favor continuing or expanding NASA’s Earth observations, rather than cutting them

The Effect of Alcohol on Assessment of the Auditory and Vestibular System

Audiologists are healthcare professionals who are highly trained to evaluate the function of the auditory and vestibular systems with the intent of diagnosing hearing and or balance disorders. The focus of this clinical doctoral scholarly project was to determine if there was a relationship between alcohol consumption and diagnostic testing performed within the scope of practice of audiology. A review of the literature revealed that there were effects of alcohol on various audiological tests including pure tone audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, acoustic reflex thresholds, auditory evoked potentials, and vestibular testing. Based on the findings, some clinical considerations were suggested, including the recommendation to reschedule diagnostic testing of patients who have reported alcohol use in the last 48 hours

A Comparison of Infant and Toddler Reactions to Strangers who Have Similar Attributes to an Established Attachment Figure vs. Strangers who Have Different Attributes

A child\u27s early attachment experiences can have a lasting impact on later development. Early attachment relationships often result in greater Social and cognitive skills, as well as better school performance (Peisner et al., 1999). For these reasons, it is important to address those components that may contribute to secure attachments with care givers in the child care setting. The current study looked at the reactions of infants and toddlers when presented with two previously unknown individuals: one who physically resembled an established caregiver with whom they had already established attachment and one who looked different from this caregiver. The study utilized a mixed method design that included parent and teacher questionnaires, as well as video recordings of the interactions between children and two new individuals. The process used for the video recordings was an adapted version of the Strange Situation developed by Mary Ainsworth and colleagues (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970). The 13 infants and toddlers who participated in the study experienced 5 sessions, which included their teacher, a session with an adult who looked similar to the teacher, and a session with a dissimilar looking adult. Findings indicated that children did display more acceptance behaviors with individuals who looked similar to a current caregiver. Data on video recording was broken into 3 categories: affect, child bids, and child response to adult bids. Paired t-tests determined that all session comparisons except for Sessions 2 and 4 for affect, and Sessions 2 and 4 for child response were statistically significant (P=.05). Cohen\u27s Kappa was used to determine parent and teacher agreement for indicators of attachment. A moderate agreement was found for the cling/smile category (.57), and a fair agreement was found for the remaining three categories: crying (.22), following (.28), and reaching (.32)

University women\u27s experience with and perceptions of premenstrual syndrome.

The present investigation examined the relationship between women\u27s self-reports of their experiences with Premenstrual Syndrome and several factors: beliefs about Premenstrual Syndrome, feminist ideology, and adherence to sex roles. One hundred and seventeen undergraduate women completed the questionnaire. Results indicated that feminists experienced more severe symptoms than non-feminists and that the stronger the belief in Premenstrual Syndrome the more severe the symptomatology. There was no effect of sex role orientation on symptomatology. In addition, all except the 16 women who were high in masculinity and low in femininity believed in the existence of Premenstrual Syndrome without skepticism. This subgroup reported similar symptomatology to the other groups, but their subjective interpretation of these symptoms indicated that they felt less negative about Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms than their cohorts. These results were especially true for the 12 self-identified feminists who also rated high in masculinity and low in femininity. Thus, the Premenstrual Syndrome construct appears to have become somewhat of a fact for most undergraduate women. The finding that a group of women, however small, is skeptical about Premenstrual Syndrome suggests that further research into its apparent prevalence is warranted.Dept. of Psychology. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1998 .H36. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 39-02, page: 0330. Adviser: Shelagh M. J. Towson. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1998

In the Wake of the Spill: Environmental Views Along the Gulf Coast

Abstract Objectives We analyze patterns in environmental views of Gulf Coast residents, in the wake of the 2010 oil spill. To what extent do spill-related and other environmental views vary with individual characteristics, personal experience with the spill, or characteristics of place? Methods About 2,000 residents of selected coastal regions in Louisiana and Florida were interviewed by telephone in late summer 2010. Results One-quarter of the respondents said that their environmental views had changed as a result of the spill. Despite reporting more change, more spill effects, and greater threats from climate-induced sea-level rise, Louisiana respondents were less likely to support a deepwater moratorium, alternative energy, or resource conservation. Conclusions Results are consistent with real effects from the spill. Differences between Louisiana and Florida respondents are not explained by spill effects or individual characteristics, however. The patterns reflect biophysical differences of the coastlines that shaped their socioeconomic development

An Evidence-Based Approach to Prepare Interdisciplinary Team Members for Implementation of the ABCDE Bundle

Quality improvement projects contribute to the development of evidence-based management strategies for successful implementation of evidence-based practices in health care, thus reducing the risk of change implementation failure. This study assessed practice change implementation strategies for the awakening and breathing trial coordination, delirium assessment and management, early exercise and mobility (ABCDE) bundle. The ABCDE bundle is an evidence-based, interdisciplinary framework for managing pain, agitation, and delirium, reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation, and supporting early mobility in critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to implement a nurse-driven initiative to design and put into place an evidence-based approach to prepare interdisciplinary team members in the medical-surgical intensive care unit (MSICU) at the Medical University of South Carolina for implementation of the ABCDE bundle. The study was guided by Raelin’s Model of Work-Based Learning (2008). A pre-intervention survey assessed (a) individual learning preferences, (b) bundle familiarity, (c) communication and collaboration, (d) current bundle practices, and (e) unit processes. The intervention phase consisted of unit-specific educational interventions based on pre-intervention survey results. A post-intervention survey assessed (a) bundle knowledge, (b) effectiveness of educational methods, (c) perceived barriers and facilitators, (d) suggestions for implementation, and (e) ongoing educational needs. Overall results revealed specific educational needs of specialties within the MSICU interdisciplinary team and demonstrated the importance of understanding unitspecific needs on both the individual and collective levels. Results indicated the need for additional education and training regarding early exercise and progressive mobility; therefore, complete and successful educational preparation of the MSICU interdisciplinary team was not achieved. This quality improvement project was the first step in the ABCDE bundle implementation process for the MSICU. Upon project completion, MSICU leaders continued progressing towards full bundle implementation by creating the interdisciplinary ABCDE bundle committee within the established shared governance practice council. The committee will support interdisciplinary team buy-in and ensure the dissemination and evaluation of continued bundle education along with more in-depth education regarding early exercise and progressive mobility. Evidencebased management strategies utilized in this study may be applied to future implementation efforts and may enhance the sustainment of future practice changes

Atlas of NOAA fisheries, southwest fisheries science center cetacean and ecosystem surveys: 1986 - 2005 [abstract]

Abstract only availableThe Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) has conducted surveys in the northeastern Pacific Ocean since the mid-1970s. These surveys collect data to 1) determine marine mammal abundances and distributions, 2) describe cetacean habitats by collecting oceanographic data, and 3) study habitats and distributions of seabirds and marine turtles. These efforts have yielded one of the largest collections of marine mammal distribution data in the world. However, this data has never been mapped in its entirety. As a NOAA Hollings Scholar, I spent my summer at the SWFSC making distribution maps for 1986 - 2005 cruises. I taught myself Perl programming language, to convert text data into an ArcGIS friendly format, and ArcGIS to make these maps. In all, 63 species distribution maps and seven cruise track-line maps that depict Beaufort sea state by geographical area were created. The atlas will be published as a NOAA Technical Memorandum and the ArcGIS shapefiles are available for use by SWFSC personnel.National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Hollings Scholarshi